Red Land closes out Ephrata

Red Land ended the Mounts journey through the CPIHL playoffs at the final four when they defeated Ephrata 7-5 last Friday.

"I am proud of the kids," said Coach Kevin Davis. "They played their hearts out. Either team could have won tonight."

Officially, Steven Zuziak had a hat trick and Josh Buohl had a goal and two assists but both said Trevor Seibel scored one of their goals. Even without the points from Friday’s game, Seibel finished the playoffs as the team’s leading scorer with seven goals and three assists for 10 points.

Red Land’s All-Star Brett Gummo scored five goals.

Outmanned 17 players to 11, Ephrata could have used a fast start but instead, the Patriots opened the scoring when Michael Bacior skated into the Mounts zoned and ended corralled by the Mounts’ defense; however, Bacior dropped a pass to Gummo who shot past Pogwist for the 1-0 lead with 5:28 into the game.

Bacior scored the game’s second goal at the 6:51 mark when he put a rebound home from Pupek’s original shot.

Gummo nearly put Red Land up 3-0 when he backhanded a shot two minutes after Bacior’s goal but Pogwist turned aside the play.

Pogwist turned aside Nick Pupek and as the Mounts took control of the puck, they ended up on a two on one break with Buohl heading down the right wing. He found Zuziak on the far side of the net and he redirected the puck home to cut the deficit to 2-1 with 5:18 left in the second.

After taking 10 minutes to score in the first period, the Mounts got the quick start they needed when Seibel scored the first of his two uncredited goals to tie the game 11 seconds into the second.

"Stevie shot it out front and I took a quick little shot and it went through the goalie’s five hole," said Seibel.

Zuziak gave the Mounts their only lead at 3-2 when he scored with 1:04 gone in the second after the Patriots iced the puck. Chase Weik and Buohl picked up the assists.

Red Land’s high scoring offense quickly brought the Patriots back when Gummo scored 38 seconds later. Gummo restored the Red Land lead when he completed his hat trick with 10:23 left in the second.

The Mounts tied the game at four when Tyler Gallagher won a face-off and sent the puck back to Alex Seibel with 6:30 left in the period.

Red Land took control of the play as they scored three goals before the end of the second to take a 7-4 lead into the third.

The Mounts tried to rally when Trevor Seibel scored from Buohl during a scrum in front of the Patriots’ net.

"The last one was Trevor’s," said Buohl. "I took it in deep, had taken it around and really didn’t have anything so I just got the puck in front of the net. Trevor got his stick on it."

Unfortunately, the Mounts could not get closer and Red Land finished Ephrata’s season with the 7-5 win.

"It was more than we could ask for, coming in the eighth seed," said Buohl of the team’s playoff run. "A lot of people thought we were done before we started but we got together under difficult circumstances and hung in there. I couldn’t be any prouder of these guys."

Ephrata advanced to Friday’s game vs. Red Land following an exciting 6-5 triumph over Lampeter-Strasburg last Wednesday at Lancaster Ice Rink.

Trevor Seibel led the way with a whopping five-goal game to lift the Mounts past L-S (12-8). and end the Pioneers’ season.

Buohl added the other Ephrata goal off an assist from Alex Seibel, while Pogwist made 20 saves in net for the Mounts. More ICE HOCKEY, page B-3